Pool Build in Costa Blanca - or what I did last summer...
Discussion
Getting there..
A long slow couple of weeks but we seem to be getting there at last.
Balustrade work took forever, the power for the equipment was also routed under existing paving to minimise the cable run which added some extra work (read cost) and delayed finishing the paving works.
But the result is good..
Other ground works were completed including the dry river bed and side steps to equipment room and lower terraces. The builders started clearing the site and moved their digger and bobcat.
Tiling was delayed by a week due to heavy rain on the Costa Blanca but we got going on a Friday. However to add to our issues the heavy rain effected our mains water supply (leak in road about 1K away cut off our urbanization supply) but to the tilers credit they coped by transporting buckets of water from another location in buckets in their van!
In the meantime our winter fuel arrived...not the dog - the 6m3 of olive dumped on the driveway
Tiles revealed on day 2 of tiling ops
Grouting done
Equipment installation the next week...getting there.
I was busy working on our lower apartment for Airbnb so it’s all moving forward now.
A long slow couple of weeks but we seem to be getting there at last.
Balustrade work took forever, the power for the equipment was also routed under existing paving to minimise the cable run which added some extra work (read cost) and delayed finishing the paving works.
But the result is good..
Other ground works were completed including the dry river bed and side steps to equipment room and lower terraces. The builders started clearing the site and moved their digger and bobcat.
Tiling was delayed by a week due to heavy rain on the Costa Blanca but we got going on a Friday. However to add to our issues the heavy rain effected our mains water supply (leak in road about 1K away cut off our urbanization supply) but to the tilers credit they coped by transporting buckets of water from another location in buckets in their van!
In the meantime our winter fuel arrived...not the dog - the 6m3 of olive dumped on the driveway
Tiles revealed on day 2 of tiling ops
Grouting done
Equipment installation the next week...getting there.
I was busy working on our lower apartment for Airbnb so it’s all moving forward now.
Edited by Mykap on Tuesday 11th July 21:59
This is very impressive, my parents have had a place on a hill just outside Pedreguer for thirty years and getting a tradesman to do anything like they have asked for has been a nightmare! I guess you're at the port end of Javea, we took a drive up there a week after the fires, was very sad state.
It seems getting reliable tradesmen is a challenge anywhere. We used British builders based here for the renovation and insulation of the villa itself, they were pretty good if rather expensive.
For the pool I chose my contractor after much consideration. The selection was made far easier by Javea’s leading swimming pool contractor, or at least most famous, being so far out of range on budget they were not even in the running after their quote. One other from Altea quoted but then declined to go further due to distance from their operational base. The other two didn’t impress for various reasons. We also made it a bit easier for them to quote as we had a clear idea of what was required and rough drawings. I was very clear on what equipment was to be fitted after having done a lot of research. I chose my guy on the basis of the quality of his work – he welcomes clients to visit he previous projects (we have had a few round to look at ours).
I had even considered an above ground pool on the terrace and decking it in as it would have been a third of the cost. This works well in the USA but wood isn’t a commonly used material in this part of Spain for building work and may have looked out of place, but more importantly SWMBO was having none of it. It had to a ‘proper pool’. Women huh (she was right of course).
On your second point the fires have been quite devastating. We are across from Pinosol. We saw the initial fires start – or at least the smoke – which was entertaining for a few hours on that Sunday afternoon. Once the winds got hold of them it suddenly became more serious and after twilight when the helicopters stopped flying. We stayed in the villa till 3am but when the treeline that you can see in some of the pictures was illuminated with orange flames and smoke it was time to go. We could hear the crackling of the trees burning and felt the heat. On our escape down Cansalades we passed under burning trees at Camino Cabanes simply sucking up and consuming all the oxygen they could pull in. Scary stuff. This was the day before the build was scheduled to start, we really thought there would be nothing to go back to the next day. But all turned out well!
For the pool I chose my contractor after much consideration. The selection was made far easier by Javea’s leading swimming pool contractor, or at least most famous, being so far out of range on budget they were not even in the running after their quote. One other from Altea quoted but then declined to go further due to distance from their operational base. The other two didn’t impress for various reasons. We also made it a bit easier for them to quote as we had a clear idea of what was required and rough drawings. I was very clear on what equipment was to be fitted after having done a lot of research. I chose my guy on the basis of the quality of his work – he welcomes clients to visit he previous projects (we have had a few round to look at ours).
I had even considered an above ground pool on the terrace and decking it in as it would have been a third of the cost. This works well in the USA but wood isn’t a commonly used material in this part of Spain for building work and may have looked out of place, but more importantly SWMBO was having none of it. It had to a ‘proper pool’. Women huh (she was right of course).
On your second point the fires have been quite devastating. We are across from Pinosol. We saw the initial fires start – or at least the smoke – which was entertaining for a few hours on that Sunday afternoon. Once the winds got hold of them it suddenly became more serious and after twilight when the helicopters stopped flying. We stayed in the villa till 3am but when the treeline that you can see in some of the pictures was illuminated with orange flames and smoke it was time to go. We could hear the crackling of the trees burning and felt the heat. On our escape down Cansalades we passed under burning trees at Camino Cabanes simply sucking up and consuming all the oxygen they could pull in. Scary stuff. This was the day before the build was scheduled to start, we really thought there would be nothing to go back to the next day. But all turned out well!
Some detail on the tiles. They are Vidrepur glass mosaic tiles.
They come on 315 x 315mm sheets with a backing and protective front paper. The tiles are fixed to the wall with the protective paper in place. They are easy to fix and are cut using a trowel through the backing, individual tiles have to be cut for finishing. After drying for a day on the walls the front paper is then wetted and removed to reveal the tiles, its then grouted in and finished. I have non slip white fluorescent edging on my roman steps for safety. Very fast to lay, the bulk of the work was done in 4 hours the finishing took most of the second day though with a four man team.
Close ups.
Next will be the filling and the equipment.
They come on 315 x 315mm sheets with a backing and protective front paper. The tiles are fixed to the wall with the protective paper in place. They are easy to fix and are cut using a trowel through the backing, individual tiles have to be cut for finishing. After drying for a day on the walls the front paper is then wetted and removed to reveal the tiles, its then grouted in and finished. I have non slip white fluorescent edging on my roman steps for safety. Very fast to lay, the bulk of the work was done in 4 hours the finishing took most of the second day though with a four man team.
Close ups.
Next will be the filling and the equipment.
Edited by Mykap on Tuesday 11th July 22:05
Pool was filled, the meter indicated 64.37m3 = 17005 US gallons or 14159 UK ones. Filling cost was just under 200 euros. Took 18hrs using 2x hoses.
The level was perfect all the way around the pool as it filled up, ie the tile grout line matched all the way round the pool as it filled. I watched as the skimmers filled for the first time (how sad is that!). No leaks or other issues. I filled to the overflow line as I am aware some water will be dumped during commissioning.
The level was perfect all the way around the pool as it filled up, ie the tile grout line matched all the way round the pool as it filled. I watched as the skimmers filled for the first time (how sad is that!). No leaks or other issues. I filled to the overflow line as I am aware some water will be dumped during commissioning.
Edited by Mykap on Tuesday 11th July 22:10
200Kg of salt arrived together with the activated glass for the filter.
I feel I may have been slightly undersold on the quantity of salt by the contractor but he assured me it was enough (well he would wouldn’t he?). My understanding is 4-6 KG per m3 I am at 64m3 water so I reckon it should have been 240kg minimum. Anyway we will see in due course.
The equipment room is spacious and the gear looks a bit lost in the corner!
I am running the pump at the lowest rpm possible over long periods. At the moment we are at 700rpm which is enough to keep the SWG happy but I will program in times for the SWG to be on and off and vary the pump speed programme as I get used to the system.
I feel I may have been slightly undersold on the quantity of salt by the contractor but he assured me it was enough (well he would wouldn’t he?). My understanding is 4-6 KG per m3 I am at 64m3 water so I reckon it should have been 240kg minimum. Anyway we will see in due course.
The equipment room is spacious and the gear looks a bit lost in the corner!
I am running the pump at the lowest rpm possible over long periods. At the moment we are at 700rpm which is enough to keep the SWG happy but I will program in times for the SWG to be on and off and vary the pump speed programme as I get used to the system.
Edited by Mykap on Tuesday 11th July 22:30
The pool equipment was carefully chosen.
I wanted the pool to be as economic as possible to run. All my neighbours have horror stories about the cost of running their pools typically quoting 50 euros a month (summer)| for power alone, plus a further 20 or so on chemicals. A pool guy here costs around 70 euros a month for cleaning and chemical control. it had to be manageable by my wife and I didn’t want to be constantly playing with chemical dosage and water purity issues. Additionally my wife hates the smell of chlorine and the effect it has on the skin.
I also wanted solar heating to extend the swimming season. Heat pumps, electric and gas heating were not an option on the grounds of running cost. Whilst on the solar topic I was very keen on solar pumping for the filtration.
Salt water pools are becoming more popular than when I first started researching several years ago. They are more expensive to install as there is some control equipment required. The electrolysis cells have a limited life as well. However the concept seemed to meet all my pool requirements above.
All contractors did quote for a SW system but the prices varied wildly. My chosen contractor was very keen on SW pools and markets them strongly in preference to chemical pools using the environmental benefits as his selling point. He only uses EUR USA and AUS sourced equipment. He recommended a variable speed pump to meet my electricity consumption concerns.
Solar pumping proved not cost effective – a local firm quoted for installation of solar heating and solar pumping. The pump came in at 3800 euros fitted, this was simply not cost effective as payback would be 5 years minimum. I could run a crap 100 euro pump full speed for 5 years for that. A great shame as I am keen on solar. Instead a Viron Evo P320 fully variable speed pump was fitted.
What a star! The little beast is fully variable from 650rpm to 2800 rpm. After settling in I have it running at 700rpm for 5hrs a day (winter). This is enough to filter and keep the SW cell happy without gassing up. It’s extremely economical, current cost is 8 euros yes eight euros a month to run. Fantastic.
Filtration is through activated glass which has a higher performance than sand.
The PH balance is automatically controlled as is chlorine generation. At the moment the Chlorine is set to 9%. I just check the levels once a week with a reagent. Water balance is perfect at these settings for now.
A pool cover has been fitted. This reduces water loss and chlorine loss in sunlight. Obviusly in summer when the pool is in use costs will rise but I am happy with performance so far.
Lastly solar heating. At 4000 euros (which included auto control of valves to optimise performance) it was astep too far for my budget. So pipework is installed and ready for retro fit later. I am considering fitting myself as the solar contractors pricing is so eye wateringly high.
I wanted the pool to be as economic as possible to run. All my neighbours have horror stories about the cost of running their pools typically quoting 50 euros a month (summer)| for power alone, plus a further 20 or so on chemicals. A pool guy here costs around 70 euros a month for cleaning and chemical control. it had to be manageable by my wife and I didn’t want to be constantly playing with chemical dosage and water purity issues. Additionally my wife hates the smell of chlorine and the effect it has on the skin.
I also wanted solar heating to extend the swimming season. Heat pumps, electric and gas heating were not an option on the grounds of running cost. Whilst on the solar topic I was very keen on solar pumping for the filtration.
Salt water pools are becoming more popular than when I first started researching several years ago. They are more expensive to install as there is some control equipment required. The electrolysis cells have a limited life as well. However the concept seemed to meet all my pool requirements above.
All contractors did quote for a SW system but the prices varied wildly. My chosen contractor was very keen on SW pools and markets them strongly in preference to chemical pools using the environmental benefits as his selling point. He only uses EUR USA and AUS sourced equipment. He recommended a variable speed pump to meet my electricity consumption concerns.
Solar pumping proved not cost effective – a local firm quoted for installation of solar heating and solar pumping. The pump came in at 3800 euros fitted, this was simply not cost effective as payback would be 5 years minimum. I could run a crap 100 euro pump full speed for 5 years for that. A great shame as I am keen on solar. Instead a Viron Evo P320 fully variable speed pump was fitted.
What a star! The little beast is fully variable from 650rpm to 2800 rpm. After settling in I have it running at 700rpm for 5hrs a day (winter). This is enough to filter and keep the SW cell happy without gassing up. It’s extremely economical, current cost is 8 euros yes eight euros a month to run. Fantastic.
Filtration is through activated glass which has a higher performance than sand.
The PH balance is automatically controlled as is chlorine generation. At the moment the Chlorine is set to 9%. I just check the levels once a week with a reagent. Water balance is perfect at these settings for now.
A pool cover has been fitted. This reduces water loss and chlorine loss in sunlight. Obviusly in summer when the pool is in use costs will rise but I am happy with performance so far.
Lastly solar heating. At 4000 euros (which included auto control of valves to optimise performance) it was astep too far for my budget. So pipework is installed and ready for retro fit later. I am considering fitting myself as the solar contractors pricing is so eye wateringly high.
Edited by Mykap on Tuesday 11th July 22:34
That's a very nice pool build you have there and thanks for the info along the way.
I like the salt idea but I didn't go along with it when I built mine(France). Instead I used an all in one pump,Cartlidge filter,jets,skimmer and light type of box that straddles the end wall of the pool.
Its very economical and so simple to maintain.
But I think yours is a far superior system.
This how mine looks ten years on.
I like the salt idea but I didn't go along with it when I built mine(France). Instead I used an all in one pump,Cartlidge filter,jets,skimmer and light type of box that straddles the end wall of the pool.
Its very economical and so simple to maintain.
But I think yours is a far superior system.
This how mine looks ten years on.
paulwirral said:
Will you be having a coping stone edge installed ? It stops a lot of surface dust ending up in the pool over the winter , I'm speaking from experience here , it also makes a safer edge all the way around .
No we won't be having one installed. It was considered and I agree to an extent about the safety issue, most of the neighbours have them. As for dust and we have the cover but I should have spec'd a drain along the patio side, it's one of the lessons learned! Having said that the new patio is angled away from the pool and deliberately did not fit a bottom pedestal on the balustrades to allow surface water to escape. We have had a lot of rain without too much rubbish going in the water. Mykap said:
No we won't be having one installed. It was considered and I agree to an extent about the safety issue, most of the neighbours have them. As for dust and we have the cover but I should have spec'd a drain along the patio side, it's one of the lessons learned! Having said that the new patio is angled away from the pool and deliberately did not fit a bottom pedestal on the balustrades to allow surface water to escape. We have had a lot of rain without too much rubbish going in the water.
The copings also help stop the pointing in the paving wearing away , but it's an easy fix if you decide to do it later . I didn't install them at first but did after a winter , that said , your in Spain so shouldn't suffer frost delamination of the paving . Mykap said:
200Kg of salt arrived together with the activated glass for the filter.
I feel I may have been slightly undersold on the quantity of salt by the contractor but he assured me it was enough (well he would wouldn’t he?). My understanding is 4-6 KG per m3 I am at 64m3 water so I reckon it should have been 240kg minimum. Anyway we will see in due course.
Isn't that 10 x 25kg, so 250kg?I feel I may have been slightly undersold on the quantity of salt by the contractor but he assured me it was enough (well he would wouldn’t he?). My understanding is 4-6 KG per m3 I am at 64m3 water so I reckon it should have been 240kg minimum. Anyway we will see in due course.
Edited by tomsugden on Thursday 12th January 15:15
Edited by tomsugden on Thursday 12th January 15:16
magooagain said:
That's a very nice pool build you have there and thanks for the info along the way.
I like the salt idea but I didn't go along with it when I built mine(France). Instead I used an all in one pump,Cartlidge filter,jets,skimmer and light type of box that straddles the end wall of the pool.
Its very economical and so simple to maintain.
But I think yours is a far superior system.
This how mine looks ten years on.]
Hope mine looks that good after ten years! Interesting box idea for all the gear, very compact which is good.Nice private spot as well.I like the salt idea but I didn't go along with it when I built mine(France). Instead I used an all in one pump,Cartlidge filter,jets,skimmer and light type of box that straddles the end wall of the pool.
Its very economical and so simple to maintain.
But I think yours is a far superior system.
This how mine looks ten years on.]
Some views of the pool now.
Still work in progress, we are undecided as to what kind of shelter to fit. The gazebo is a temporary fix although it’s quite nice. Even in the winter some shade is required (the pool is south facing).
Still work to do.
We want an outside kitchen as BBQ’s are a passion as is the smoker for pork and beef. I’m seriously considering a green egg kamado and table.
We need to introduce some privacy from both sides (can’t have a pool like this and not skinny dip from time to time)and hide my neighbours building efforts in the process. We have a solar shower ready to install as well. Obviously we need to do some planting as well to sort out the borders and add some greenery.
Still work in progress, we are undecided as to what kind of shelter to fit. The gazebo is a temporary fix although it’s quite nice. Even in the winter some shade is required (the pool is south facing).
Still work to do.
We want an outside kitchen as BBQ’s are a passion as is the smoker for pork and beef. I’m seriously considering a green egg kamado and table.
We need to introduce some privacy from both sides (can’t have a pool like this and not skinny dip from time to time)and hide my neighbours building efforts in the process. We have a solar shower ready to install as well. Obviously we need to do some planting as well to sort out the borders and add some greenery.
Edited by Mykap on Tuesday 11th July 22:38
Edited by Mykap on Tuesday 11th July 22:39
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